When you think about an eye examination, you probably think about checking your vision and looking for signs of eye conditions. But your eyes can tell us much more.

The retina, at the back of the eye, contains a network of tiny blood vessels that can be viewed directly using a retinal camera. Because these blood vessels are part of the body’s wider circulatory system, changes in their appearance can provide valuable information about vascular health.

At John Rose Eye Care we have introduced HeartEye’s AI-powered technology to analyse retinal photographs and provide an indication of your cardiovascular risk. It is an exciting development in preventive healthcare, allowing us to use a routine eye image to gain additional insight into your wider health.

What is HeartEye AI?

Heart.Eye’s current cardiovascular screening technology, Dr. Noon HEART, uses artificial intelligence to analyse subtle patterns in the blood vessels visible in retinal photographs.

The technology has been developed and clinically validated using large datasets of retinal photographs and cardiovascular data. Research published in The Lancet Digital Health investigated whether coronary artery calcium scores could be predicted from retinal photographs using deep-learning technology. The study found that the retinal photograph-derived risk measure had comparable prognostic performance to CT-measured coronary artery calcium scoring in the populations studied.

This is significant because a coronary CT scan requires specialist hospital imaging equipment and exposes the patient to ionising radiation. A retinal photograph, by contrast, is quick, non-invasive and can be taken as part of an eye-care appointment.

Why look at the eyes for information about the heart?

The retina provides one of the few places in the body where blood vessels can be viewed directly and non-invasively.

The tiny vessels at the back of the eye can show changes associated with vascular health. HeartEye’s AI analyses these subtle patterns and uses them to provide a personalised cardiovascular risk assessment.

One of the areas of interest is atherosclerosis. This occurs when fatty deposits, cholesterol and other substances build up within the walls of arteries. Over time, this can contribute to narrowing and stiffening of the arteries and is associated with cardiovascular disease.

HeartEye does not take a photograph of your heart or directly see plaque inside your coronary arteries. Instead, its AI analyses patterns in the retinal blood vessels that can provide information relevant to cardiovascular risk.

What happens during a  Heart.Eye scan?

The process is straightforward.

1. A photograph of your retina is taken

A specialist retinal camera captures a high-resolution image of the back of your eye. No needles or injections are involved, and in most cases no special preparation is required.  It is non-invasive.  HeartEye states that patients can eat, drink and take their usual medication before the appointment.

2. How is the image analysed ?

Images are analysed by AI – The retinal photographs are securely uploaded for analysis. HeartEye’s deep-learning technology examines subtle characteristics of the retinal blood vessels and produces a cardiovascular risk assessment.

3. You will receive a personalised report

The report provides a cardiovascular risk result and places the result into a risk category. It also provides information and practical recommendations intended to support prevention and help guide conversations about your cardiovascular health. Where appropriate, your result can also help identify when it may be sensible to discuss your cardiovascular risk with your GP or another healthcare professional.

Traditional cardiovascular risk assessment can involve looking at factors such as age, blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking history, diabetes and family history.

HeartEye offers an additional source of information by looking at the tiny blood vessels in your retina.

The underlying research is particularly interesting because retinal photographs have been used to develop deep-learning models that estimate coronary artery calcium-related risk. In a large study published in The Lancet Digital Health, researchers used more than 216,000 retinal photographs from datasets in South Korea, Singapore and the UK to develop and validate the technology. The researchers concluded that the retinal photograph-derived measure showed comparable prognostic performance to CT-measured coronary artery calcium scoring in the study populations.

This doesn’t mean that a HeartEye scan replaces a coronary CT scan. Rather, it offers a non-invasive additional way of assessing cardiovascular risk, potentially helping identify people who may benefit from further discussion or assessment.

Monitoring your cardiovascular health over time

One of the particularly interesting aspects of HeartEye is the potential to use follow-up measurements to monitor changes over time. Cardiovascular health is not fixed. Lifestyle, exercise, diet, smoking, blood pressure, cholesterol and appropriate medical treatment can all influence cardiovascular risk. Follow-up assessments can therefore provide another way of monitoring your risk profile and supporting conversations about prevention. Your HeartEye result should always be considered alongside your wider medical history and other recognised cardiovascular risk factors.

What does my result mean?

The report currently describes three broad cardiovascular risk categories: low, medium and high. It also provides age and biological-sex context to help put the result into perspective.

A lower-risk result does not mean that you have no risk of cardiovascular disease, and a higher-risk result does not by itself diagnose heart disease. Instead, the result is best viewed as one additional piece of information about your cardiovascular health. If your result indicates increased risk, we may recommend that you discuss it with your GP or another appropriate healthcare professional. They may consider other measurements or investigations, such as blood pressure, cholesterol testing, established cardiovascular risk calculations or further cardiac assessment, depending on your individual circumstances.

Looking after your heart starts with prevention

Heart disease can develop silently, which is why understanding your risk factors is so important.

Knowing your cardiovascular risk can be an opportunity to take action — whether that means becoming more active, improving your diet, stopping smoking, managing blood pressure or cholesterol, or speaking to your GP about whether further assessment is appropriate.

At John Rose Eye Care in Kingston upon Thames, London we believe that modern eye care can play an increasingly important role in preventative health.

Heart.Eye AI allows us to look beyond eyesight and explore what your eyes may tell us about your wider cardiovascular health.

Interested in finding out more?

If you would like to find out whether a Heart.Eye cardiovascular risk scan is suitable for you, please contact us.

HeartEye AI: Frequently Asked Questions

What is a HeartEye cardiovascular risk scan?
HeartEye is an AI-powered screening tool that analyses retinal photographs to provide an indication of cardiovascular risk.

Can an eye scan detect heart disease?
A retinal scan does not diagnose heart disease. HeartEye analyses patterns in the blood vessels at the back of the eye that may provide useful information about cardiovascular risk.

Is a HeartEye scan the same as a coronary CT scan?
No. HeartEye is a non-invasive cardiovascular risk screening tool and does not replace a coronary CT scan or other medical investigations when these are clinically required.

How long does a HeartEye scan take?
A high-resolution retinal photograph can be taken quickly during an eye-care appointment and is then analysed using HeartEye’s AI technology.

Where can I have a HeartEye scan in Kingston upon Thames, London, Richmond 
HeartEye cardiovascular risk screening is available at John Rose Eye Care in Kingston upon Thames, London.

Important information

HeartEye is a cardiovascular risk screening and assessment tool. It does not diagnose heart disease, atherosclerosis, heart attack or stroke, and it does not replace a medical examination, GP assessment, blood tests, ECG, coronary CT scan or other investigations where these are clinically indicated.

The result is an indication of cardiovascular risk and should be considered alongside your medical history, symptoms and other recognised cardiovascular risk factors. If you have symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath or other symptoms that may indicate an acute medical problem, you should seek appropriate medical attention rather than relying on a HeartEye screening result.